Wüsthof Waiter's Corkscrew

The Wusthof feels solid and smooth in the hand. The components hinge out with the pleasant, firm resistance you expect from German engineering, and they don't flop around as you turn the unit. Unfortunately, the foil cutter is a serrated blade (something that I didn't see on the Amazon description) and it rips the foil rather than cutting it. I like to cut the foil beneath the lip of the bottle, and the Wusthof leaves a ragged, messy, and very visible cut, so I've been using another knife to cut the foil until I find the time to grind the teeth off what appears to be a good quality Wusthof blade.

The corkscrew itself is sharp and well designed, long enough to penetrate the deepest corks, and can be screwed easily down the middle of the cork. The handle provides the right feel and control to guide the cork. The lever rests securely on the bottle and stays clear of the cork (unlike cheaper models, where the lever's claws dig into the cork as it is being extracted), and, combined with the Wusthof's main handle, provides the right leverage even for the most recalcitrant cork, as demonstrated a few days ago, when our evening meal opened with an audible and satisfying pop as I painlessly extracted a long, tightly wedged and slightly dry cork from a Bordeaux bottle with the help of the Wusthof.

In summary, apart from the serrated blade, an excellent choice, well worth the price.


Heavy, solid portable corkscrew   March 11, 2003
 13 out of 15 found this review helpful

This is a heavy, solid-feeling corkscrew that should last for many years. There are many waiter-style corkscrews out there but this one is, for the money, the best built, if not exactly the most stylish. The open screw design means you can safely open old, dry corks without fear of breaking the cork off in the bottle. The foil cutter works well, even on those plastic bottle toppers. This corkscrew does require some practive, however, as you need to line up the screw correctly -- not in the center of the cork but more towards the edge, about halfway between center and edge. On one end is a tiny flip-out blade that can be used for cutting off the foil capsule. On the other end is a lever that serves as a brace that rests on the edge of the bottle to give you leverage when extracting the cork. This makes it easy to open a bottle of wine without setting it down on a tabletop.

If you need a corkscrew for the home, get an inexpensive Screwpull, but if you want a portable corkscrew, or a backup for the home, this is a solid choice.